ORIGIN

1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6

This 1979 Trans Am is said to be a matching-numbers example that’s fresh from restoration. The dark blue over aqua color scheme looks fantastic, and it’s always nice to see these cars equipped with a 4-speed manual in place of popular autos. 17” snowflakes in the original style are a great looking and tasteful upgrade, and underneath the screaming chicken rests a range-topping 400 CI V8. A/C and the WS6 performance package are other notable factory options. Find it here on eBay in Charlotte, North Carolina for $26,900.

I can actually appreciate the undercarriage. Very minor surface rust on the axle and leaf springs, probably looked like that since 1980. Some surface rust on the hard lines- very minor stuff the meat and bones of the car are pristine.

At least you know there are no demons hiding under some fresh chassis black paint. I wouldnt advertise it as frame up at all, on the contrary I would praise the un-restored condition of the undercarriage as a selling point.

These cars will peak once the people buy them up to relive their youth, next will come the IROCs and GTAs….the circle of life

The ‘as found’ state of the underside would seem to go against the ‘rebuilt from the frame up’ claim by seller, as sway bar rubbers and , as has been pointed out, shock rubbers, seem to be either old or original. My guess is someone found a reasonably well preserved car, swapped the interior ( i believe seller claims it to be new ) , nicely detailed the underhood after decent paint job, and now is trying to make some money. I certainly can’t fault seller for that. That underside looks pretty sound to me, but my phone photos are small. A good ppi would , as usual, tell the story. I think for something closer to 18 to 20 this may be a good car. Gltb.

Re engines, yes, the Pontiac 301 and 301 Turbo are two massive brown stains in the Performance Divisions memory best never mentioned again.. ;-)

The Olds 403 (6.6 decal on the shaker) is basically a low-end torque focused station wagon and luxo cruiser motor. They only came attached to an automatic trans and are known to have weak bottom ends so performance parts (and interest) are very limited. Though never available in the F-body, the Olds 455 is a much better BB engine.

The Pontiac 400 (T/A 6.6 decal on the shaker) is a much better overall engine design with very good performance potential + excellent parts support/interest. Pontiac saw it as their top engine in the later F-bodies and it was only available with a 4-spd manual transmission.

While it looks almost perfect up top, S Fitz is correct, the underside on this one is not pretty and looks like a typical 20+ y/o used car; crud, rust, original super-restrictive GM pellet bed catalyst & all.

Other than a new gas tank, right rear tailpipe & tips, nothing else appears to have been done down under. The rear shocks, all ~$80-100 (a pair), haven’t even been changed anytime recently. All I’m saying is an in-person PPI seems a requirement as the money was spent on the shiny bits first and foremost..

That being said, Nocturne Blue is a really nice shade and that alone elevates this one well above your done to death black or gold T/A.

DRV, you might be just a tad too old. But you’d have been in HS for the earlier Super Duty cars, which are sweet. Remember, this basic body style ran for more than a decade. For me, I like the 1977 and 78 cars with the more open nose and the quad rectangular lights. The earlier nose like on the 1976 is nice too. But I’d love an earlier SD engine in one.

@Gordini, re quality, i think you’re right. My early ’70’s is pretty good ( not by today’s stiffness measures), but any late ’70’s early ’80’s i’ve been in has tended towards being a rattle-trap. As an aside , i really like those 17’s on this. Nice choice.

@mm, It is indeed a great time to be a car enthusiast, but it is so precisely because of the bureaucrats. My 08 Honda Civic (stick shift) probably emits less hydrocarbons driving down the road than my 71 911 does just sitting in the garage.

Had a black and gold 1976 Trans Am w/ 455 and 4 spd. Fast car and great looking. I always felt, though, that the quality went down on them during the 70’s, so by 1979, not so great. A friend had a ’73 T/A w/ 400 and 4spd. That car was great. I prefer the early ones. They are a really a cut above the Camaro Z28, which I also owned.

Actually,that law was not passed until 82.No sticks for you……… NEXT !! Something goofy happened in California too,Manual with 305 only ,maybe 79 or 80.Not the Zenith of Corvette history ! I sure do like that 80 ish body though.

@DRV – I hated these when I was in high school (graduated in 1980) I was into older muscle cars – 69 Camaros, GTOs and Dodge Darts. My small group of friends were all gear heads driving older cars and pick ups. We referred to the (at the time ) brand new T/A’s, Corvettes and Z/28s as Factory Hot Rod S%$tboxes.

But I would sure loved to own one now! Funny how nostalgia works. I think the F bodies even the Corvettes from the late 70’s early 80s have aged well….i just wouldn’t keep the engine stock….and try finding one with a 3rd pedal! ( In ’79 I think there was a law against having a standard trans in a Corvette…) LOL

You can take your pick of the 93-02 cars at what in my opinion are bargain prices tight now. Whether you want a particular color / option combination or one of the special edition models (I’ve always been partial to that white and blue 30th T/A with the blue wheels), all but the Firehawks are cheap today.

Brouha is right as usual,I have had fine examples of both generations in my collection lately,and as always,the newer ones are much better drivers.Everyone forgets that not all 1st gen Camaros were Yenkos ,ZL-1’s,or Firebird SD’s.This 79 is likely faster than most gen 1’s and will do everything else waaay better. Aesthetically though,the chrome bumper era cars of any brand or genre are tough to beat.I agree with Jon though,I think the bargain in F-bodies is the 93-02.The Lt-1’s are cheaper,but go for the LS and forget about the “optispark” P.O.S. Yes,Carstruck,a 73 455 SD would be sweet wouldn’t it ? RobF;Vintage cars are what they are,but there is nothing that compares to what is being offerred today.The only limiting factor today is your wallet.Camaro ZL-1,new Viper,Mustangs with 600+ hp,Vettes,GTR,911 Turbo, etc and guys are running 10’s at my track in tuned stock looking 4 door Cadillacs.It’s truly a great time to be a car guy,but just like in the 70’s some Bureaucrats will mess it all up.Enjoy…..for now !

@Jon – I don’t know where you been looking but you can get a low mileage L98 IROC for about 8 grand. A super low mileage car with less than 10,000 miles on it will set you back about 12 grand. Tons of people mothballed thes thinking they’d be the next ’69 Z28. Just keep your eye on eBay. You’ll see what I mean come spring.

The fact that this thread has 106 posts and counting should tell you why the prices are where they are. For many Gen Xers these cars were the coolest cars available when they were young and, particularly, when they were in high school. So there are many who will pay.

A 67-69 Camaro is not worth a lot of money because it’s a good car – trust me on this. I owned one, a 69 SS, and to be brutally honest it was kind of a piece of crap, sorry if that offends anyone. But it’s worth a lot of money because affluent baby boomers are willing to pay a lot of money.

With collectors cars, people are not going on rational objective measures, many are in large part paying for a memory.

@Brouhaha Yes, I know they have been at high values, but I really don’t understand why. And even third gens are not that affordable anymore. A lot of people seem to think their 90,000 mile 305 RS camaro is worth $8k now. The real bargains are the 93-02 cars now. You can get LS1 Camaros/Firebirds for $5k now. LT1s are even less. I’ve owned three third gens and have 2 4th gens currently. I just think for $25k or more, you could get a nice driver 1st gen firebird 400 or even a nice 67-68 Camaro.

@Mainly Muscle, what you said. I always liked the ’70 to ’74’s better, but these are still a lot cooler than most late ’70’s cars out there. Resto-modded w/ at least frame connectors and a warmed 400 or 455 would be my favorite.

Well, the Porsche 930 Turbo was about 6.5:1… turbocharged is the key word.

I’ve managed to make an aftermarket turbocharged Cologne Ford 2.6 run well without and ECU, but of course there was no need to keep emissions down on that one. I was afraid to increase the boost and use the water/alcohol injection though because there was no gauge indicating how much ADI fluid remained nor any safety interlock to cut the boost if it ran out.

I always though the F-body managed to integrate 5mph bumpers quite well. Sure they looked heavier and not as good as the original design but they carried them better than a lot of other cars of the era. Never liked the last version of the Firebird as seen here though. The individual recesses for each headlight looks awkward compared to the earlier 5mph front ends.

This was the car that I wanted in high school IF I had to get a new car, and IF they were available in CA with the four speed, which they were not. What I really wanted was a ’71 455 HO with M-22. I was lucky to get just that a few years later- a true performance car. Sold it less than a year ago, after 25 years of ownership.

I want to love this car, and did, until someone pointed out the undercarriage shots on the company website. I would have hoped these were the “before” photos, but it doesn’t appear that way. Look closely. Not pretty…

one of my dream cars of my youth. This one is especially gorgeous. You could get lost in that blue. The interior is typically american, but at least you get the cool turned metal dash inserts and I always liked the steering wheel. I also like the low bucket seats without giant headrests. The bigger wheels look right. Would be an amazing cross country road trip car. You’d never be lacking for attention, that’s for sure!

Pontiac built over 117,000 T/As in ’79. To clarify the engines, there was the L78 400/4-speed (8,326), L80 403/auto (94,773), and the 301 with either the 4-speed or automatic as a credit option (14,009).

I was 17 when the Bandit came out,and am well into peak earning years now.Additionally my Mom bought a new one in 75 which I drove as my own,after my Scirroco was totalled by a 68 Chrysler. My story is the opposite of many of the fans of smaller ,lighter cars,who are regulars on this site.I would rather drive that T/A a million times more than the Vdub,and have preferred horsepower and torque to small and agile, ever since but hey,thats why there is Budwieser,Miller and Heineken.As for the target market,I suspect that its 45-55ish.Interestingly,I am meeting a lot of guys 25-40 who adore these bacause there dad had one which made him THEE coolest Dad on the block !That same group is also into the 80’s IROCs. Like Snaaby above ,I find the interest, here at BaT, in this car, is encouraging and shows some evolving of the site.2 years ago,there would have been mostly hate and the ever popular mullet comments as well as all the usual BS about how somebody spanked one with a 2002 (Btw, the only way that happens is when the driver of the T/A is not actually aware he is in a race ).This time around we may hit 100 comments with few repeats,no snipping ,and about 90 % with favourable comments.This makes me smile.A great day at BaT.

“I would consider it one of the best driving American cars of the late 60′s, early 70′s, Corvette’s included. And thats with 3800 lbs on a drum brake rear…”

When I said they look better than they drive this is what I meant. Sure they drive nice but they cant compare to modern muscle. They are a compromise. Like saying a White Castle hamburger is good- its only good at 2am when you are drunk its not the best hamburger but its good……….at times

This looks suspicious like the car that was on an episode of “What’s My Car Worth?” that reruns on Velocity channel. I wanna say the guy brought it to auction (same part of the country, iirc) but it didn’t meet the reserve. What UGW said above about it being a Pontiac 400 motor instead of an Olds 403 because of the manual trans is also ringing a bell, but i cannot confirm. Altho i came of age during that era I did not like these cars then, but they have grown on me with nostalgia, and i really like this much more rare color!

@Chaz: “This is an RK Motors car which means … This car is probably better now than when it rolled out of the factory.”

Beg to differ, Chaz. Go to the RK website where they post more pictures than on EBay. The undercarriage condition of this vehicle looks pretty bad – hardly “factory”. The bigger question is: Why were the photos omitted for the EBay listing?

For me, it’s not a question of retired. It’s when you have the money. If you were in high school in 1976 (in or around there anyway), you’d be nearing 60. That seems to be about the sweet spot for thinking about these kinds of cars. Obviously with recent financial upheavals, some people are retiring later; but before that, I read recently that some stat (median, average, whatever) for retirement was right around 57.

Most dudes had posters of Trans-Am in their bedrooms are still too young to be retired, wait another 10-15 years, more people will seek out 2nd Gen F-body cars. Not sure they will be looking for all original (slow) or ‘tastefully’ modified ones (non-original).

The increase in demand and hopefully decrease in supply might boost the value. There really aren’t that many iconic cars of ’70s.

Not the colors I’d choose; but I have a weakness for these and think that they will rise in value as the generation that wanted one when new but were too young and/or too poor are coming into their own now.

Wardo, I could not agree more. While I think the interior of this is better than many, American cars after the mid-1960s seemed to go with these big, plastic dashes, with bad edges, etc.

A while back, someone linked to a comparison test with the L’il Red Express (not truck) and it was faster than anything American in the day. Faster than the Corvette, much less this. 1978 was faster than the ’79 by a bit. They also made Midnight Express with a 440.

Brouhaha, Interestingly enough we played with an 81 formula that had a 301 turbo…with the help of a few friends in GM development(grew up in MI) we diabled the antiknock sensor, modified a plate to increase the boost and put in a lower rear end gear ratio..it needed premium gas at the least, liked race gas….after that the car performed very well, but before the mods it was a total dog.

RK Motors’ online showroom is always a pleasure to peruse, they really know how to do it.

Had a pal with a plain ’76 Firebird, it was a tough car – we put all four wheels in the air more than once, never questioned whether it should be taken down a gravel road. This Trans Am is perhaps a tad too pretty to be bagged-out in the sticks, but if I was racing it across the country and wanted to shortcut via grid road, I wouldn’t hesitate. Be a shame to chip those perfect Year One Snowflake wheels, though.

What’s with the rust under the Body Tag/VIN tag/chassis plate?? And the saggy door cards and discoloured carpets??

No T-tops is bad, metallic deep blue is always good. Remember trying to convince my Dad when I was 10, to buy a 4.9 turbo. In Cornwall. The roads are not large…

Wasn’t it McQueen in Hunter who did the greatest of respect to one of these?? Donutting a Hertz rental one before launching it in to field because the character wasn’t used to a stick shift? Must have been about 10 when I watched that too.

My dad bought one of these in ’79 (without WS6 package) and when I turned 16 in ’84 it became the car I drove. Got 5 fun years out of that car before selling the rusty beast and I have to say that it was a very fun car to own and drive. The interior really is not uncomfortable and it was a hell of a handful in the snow. I sure would love to still own it now so my 17 yo could see what it’s like.

I definitely prefer the ’70 – ’73. At only 5′ 6″, I remember having trouble seeing over the hood on these cars, even more so on the Gen 1 cars. Still, I think the most iconic of the Trans Am’s has to be the ’77, the original “Bandit” car.

@RobF – I dont know if there is a degeneration in handling and braking over 9 years of production (i doubt that), but I have spent plenty of seat time in a ’70 RAIII T/A, and I would consider it one of the best driving American cars of the late 60’s, early 70’s, Corvette’s included. And thats with 3800 lbs on a drum brake rear…

RobF:”Had more than I can count…..look better than they drive” Well Rob,I also have bought cars that looked better than they drove,but only once. These drive fine for what they are.As far as the Lil Red goes ,my recollection is that it was the 4th quickest American car,behind Vette,T/A, and a Mustang or 360 Aspen Rt.Regardless they are neat too,and always a few for sale.

That brings back memories. I had a powder blue 78 Firebird with the “Esprit” trim. I got it because it was the only 6.6 w/ a 4-speed they had on the lot and they were only expecting autos for the rest of the year. It had the Olds 403 with the hood scoop and it couild barely get out of its own way with the 185 hp it produced. It spun a bearing with about 100 miles left on the extended warranty I had with the dealership – we worked a deal where they put a dealership built Pontiac high performance 350 that made that car scream.

Im sure its a very nice car, but the photo editing turns me off. Looks a bit artificial. I had more of these than I can count and I can say with 100% certainty that once you start driving one of these you realize they look better than they drive

I remember watching “Smokey..” as a kid in the 80’s and thinking this was the coolest car in the history of everything automotive. Was a huge letdown to grow up and realize the burden of 70’s emission requirements meant they were not actually that fast .

In the late 70’s my father owned a ’67 Corvette 327 convertible. He tells a story of one of his friends coming to a party and bragging about his brand new big-block Trans Am. Dad called him out, so they went out in the street and had a drag race – – mom was the flag girl. The way dad tells it, the Corvette easily walked away from the Pontiac and his buddy was quite embarrassed.

IIRC, the 301 turbo was a dog off the line but was pretty quick in the 50-70 roll on passing maneuver. I remember reading a test to that affect that it was more of an open road car than a stop light to stop light one, which kind of fit at the time. The Camaro was always the bruiser, the T\A more of the GT, or at least that is how I always thought of them in my head. The older I get, the more the suckerfish nose on these grow on me. My buddy has 3 of these in his yard right now, a blue T\A, a white Formula and a primered T\A waiting for the Pro Touring treatment to be finished, all 79s.

The LRT was the quickest thing around at the time but since it is a truck, can’t really say it was the quickest production car at the time:). I do remember Pickup, Van and 4WD doing a comparison test between a LRT, the Heavy 10 454 and an F150 460. The Dodge spanked them all when it came to speed and handling, not so much off road:). The LRT is on my bucket list.

Clutch? No t-tops? Not black? WS6? A proper driver ordered that Trans Am. I still prefer the mid-70’s Formula Firebirds, but would seriously consider this one if I were in “acquisition mode”.

A girl at my high school had one of these, but it was the turbo version, in white with the graphics. And yes, she had frizzy hair. We didn’t date, but we did go see Dio, Motley Crue, etc. concerts. True story.

I always thought the 78 Little Red Truck was the quickest American car one could buy in the late 70’s ( This comes from an article I read in C&D in the mid-80’s). My memory could be faulty, but the strangeness of the comparison always stuck with me.

@Mtavant — The infamous Bandit “nitrous” story is actually from the second movie, which used a T/A with the 301 Turbo. This was a pathetic little mongrel of an engine that had a 7.5:1 compression, probably the lowest in 4-cycle automobile engine history, and even this didn’t stop detonation (no ECMs yet). So I’m going to guess those Bandit T/As didn’t last past 1 or 2 shoots. It supposedly made 210 horses but ran the quarter in the mid 17s. Today, it would get dusted by a meter maid in a Chevy Aveo. Not a bright spot in Trans Am history.

The 403 was available on 78-79 T/As with the automatic and was derisively called the “Oldsmobird” or “Slomobird” at the time. But it did make 320 ft/lbs of torque at a relatively low RPM at least. As I recall, this was basically an Olds 350 bored out like a mother. So much so in fact that they couldn’t even fit coolant passages between the cylinders, so they had a tendency to overheat. But you could modify them for good power with a cam, manifold, exhaust and by milling the heads.

I My dad had a 70 Formula 400/4-speed and an 87 Formula 5.0/5-speed ac/radio delete (both from new), but he never warmed to these. Truth be told they’re just not that great to drive, but not as bad as many think.

Since I was in elementary school in the late I 70’s loved them more than my CHiPS lunchbox, and gwad how I loved that box.

Nice car, just not at that price. Like the guy said, it takes just as much money to refurbish a good model from one that is not so desirable. And believe me, these people want back every cent they put into this car.

Me? I would prefer a more beat-up 70-73 (even a 74 with the right engine) and fix it up as I went along.

Some insight into why a significant number of us love love love these cars. Talk all you want about how a newer car is faster, but 1) a Trans Am with a Pontiact 400 was, Porsche 930 aside, the fastest dang thing on the road in 77-79. “1979 will be the end of the road if you want horsepower overload” was a statement based in fact from Mr. Hagar. 2) If you want it faster, there are tons of uncomplicated options – from modifications to the existing Pontiac 400 to myriad engine swaps, a 4 speed overdrive auto or a 5 or 6 speed manual. 3) my gosh just look at it. The bird, the shape, the engine turned dash. Nothing else has that style, whether you like it or not(I own Smokey and Hooper on DVD so yeah, I like it). Like the majority of the cars featured on BaT of course you can go faster for cheaper, and even within the world of Camaro/Firebird/F-Bodys the 4th gen cars are clearly the better buy if you are looking for the most speed and handling for the least money. And if you’re trying to buy at the bottom of the depreciation curve, snap up your favorite 3rd gen now(L98 350 V8 700r4 car or TPI 305 cars with a 5 speed manual seem to be good bets, the 1LE cars and 89 Turbo T/As have been pricey for a while now). But there’s just something about the 77-79 T/A – and that’s why I drove to work today with the T-Tops off in my 99 Z28 which is a faster and “better” car by most measures but I still want one of these Trans Ams to park next to it.

UGW if the hood says T/A 6.6 it has the Pontiac mill…a much better engine, If the hood says 6.6 liter it has the Olds 403. Back in the day we knew these were but a shadow of the Super Duty, The Bandit car in the movie was fed a steady diet of nitrous so they could do a burnout with it. Still, these corner flat, oversteer at the limit and are a hoot to drive

UGW, pretty damn sure the 403 was NOT a 4 speed car. They were pretty bad. The hood I think is a give away as to the real Poncho 6.6 under the hood. Even though they only had 220 or was it 225 hp in top form it was the 335 ftlbs of torque which could move it. Plus these where so easy to hot rod! Bring a 068 cam … I think that is what it was w 301/313 duration!

Loved Trans Ams then,and pretty damn tolerant of them still.Of course,they were not that powerful-until you compare them to anything else available at the time.They handled very well,and that part has stood the test of time,wide stance and stiff suspension give these things excellent cornering ability, and they stop well too.The ride is harsh and yes the interior looks great but falls apart. Check out many expensive Euro cars of the era and you will find the same weak plastics.These have been on a steady climb for a while and mid twenties is the market for good ones.Excellent ones hit as high as $50k.Make mine a 77/78 Bandit with a stock look but an Ls-7 or 9.I think Year One offers such for about $90k.Ahhh nostalgia !

I might be thinking of the wrong year, but I believe that being a 4-speed means that this car has an actual 400 Pontiac motor, versus the Oldsmobile 403 that went with the auto. Both made piteously low numbers compared to 10 years before or today, but in Firebird circles that fact that the 4-speed cars were “all Pontiac” means something.

I owned an identical twin of this car. I was always slightly disappointed in the performance but I loved the way it looked. Turned out to be little impractical for a growing family in Rochester, NY. so it got traded for 1980 Bronco.

@Jon – These late ’70s T/As have actually been desirable and thus pricey for a while now, particularly the L78 cars with the 4-speed. The Z28 models from this vintage and the 1980-81 301 T/As are a bit cheaper, but not by that much. If you want a bargain in tbe F-body world you need to go to the 3rd generation cars, which are cheap as dirt.

I think of this as the ultimate campy fun. I mean, what’s better than cruising a Saturday night with your screaming chicken, mullet, bell-bottom pants and American flag shirt? You got ELO on the tape deck and your favorite frizzy-haired sweetheart by your side.

In 1979 I was into punk rock and the above statement would have been ironic and mocking. 35 years later the irony’s gone, and even though a good minivan might be faster than the Trans-Am, the memories have turned fond. Sign me up for this sucker!

Have y’all seen Burt Reynolds and Sally Field lately, they have not aged well and neither has their car. 220 hp out of the factory and even if a bit more now, not nearly as fast as it looks. I’m in the camp that believes the interior is another let down. Better off buying a later LT1 or LS1 TA, for a lot less $$ and a heck of lot more HP and interior panache.

@Chrismk1 – you’re spot on about the GM interiors from the 70’s / 80’s . Having owned many GM H-bodies and F-bodies I can attest to the downright crappy quality of the plastics . They do not age , gracefully or otherwise —they simply disintegrate – but not before fading, horribly.

I still can’t figure out why these things cost so much. Believe me, I’ve owned and lusted after F-Bodies my whole life, but why are the 78/79 cars going for $20-40k? Nothing from America during that time period is something I would want to own. While I know it probably carries a premium because its from RK, I see cars I’d rather have for roughly the same price (67-68 Firebird 400s and even 70-73 Formulas). I know these cars were better than almost everything on the road in 1979, but seriously, almost everything in 1979 was pretty damned terrible. Am I missing something?

No T tops is is the big deal here. I really like the wheels. This body style takes the big wheels better than any other “older” car. And I love the interior. You’d need some period correct cloths to drive this to C&C.

@KPG — No, 15×8″ snowflakes that looked similar to these came with the WS6 package, with P225/70 rubber. The package also had rear disc brakes this year, and a thicker rear sway bar and faster steering box.

F-bodies did not get 17″ wheels from the factory until the 1996 SS/WS6 package cars.

My brother has had one of these since new. Original paint, though worn thru, and all. While the big plastic nose on these ruins the design, in my opinion, I always liked these in a redneck kinda way. Of course, the build quality is typical ’70’s American, the doors are gigantic and are constantly sagging, and the interior is pretty cheesy. But, a great example of American automotive kitsch that will satisfy that dream of every guy that was in high school in 1979….including me!

As kids growing up in Queens we came across this same car with an automatic,where we found a lot of cars left running….. This one with a doors, wheels, and front seats delete. Since we couldn’t joy ride it, one of the kids decides to wedge a chunk of concrete again the accelerator. That 400 was a Srceamer! As it was too painful for the ears to witness this experiment up close, we started walking out of the stolen car wasteland. That small block ran a good 25 minutes pegged in neutral before blowing up.

I was 6 years old in 1979. I thought these cars with the screaming chicken on the hood were the coolest cars ever. It still thrills the 6 year old inside me. I have never realized my dream of owning one though.

True story. In the late nineties I was at a dinner party and one of my dates friends (she was quite the snob) went on ad nauseam about how ridiculous these cars were, and how only a low brow, mullet wearing, knuckle dragger would be found behind the wheel. A while later the conversation changed to everyone’s current mode of transportation. The snob asked me what I was driving and I said with a straight face “1979 Trans Am, big huge bird on the hood” The look on her face was priceless. She had apologized to me repeatedly before I told her I didn’t actually own one.

by FAR the best color for these. all the black and gold ones can be sucked into a sinkhole as far as I’m concerned. too bad the interior doesn’t live up to the elegance of the paint. with a full black interior swap this would be perfect.

@Chaz – re: the speculation about RK cars pricing etc., the BIN is $27k, end of story. doesn’t seem crazy high for the condition which looks (glamour photography aside…) immaculate but I know nothing about the market for these…

sadly i remember these being the slowest 400 cubes you could find at the time – i think only 175hp or something? but the point of buying this would be to roll it on the weekends showing off the retro styling today anyway…

Re: previous comments about GT highway performance. In the late ’80s, I was driving my ’79 T/A home from college while my roommate read the sports page in the passenger seat. Was comfortably running around the century mark when I came up on traffic and slowed down considerably. My roommate feels the deceleration, looks up from the paper and asks why these cars are going so slow. I inform him we’re still going 20 mph over the 55 mph speed limit. He promptly goes back to the sports page and doesn’t ask any more questions the rest of the trip.

Paid $1800 for the car, drove it for 7 years and sold it for $1650 with virtually no maintenance costs. Not a bad way to get through college and your first couple of years in the real world.

Vega ? Nah – those pieces of plastic cladding for the interior are from the Monza Coupe my mom drove when I was in 6th grade. Detroit interior plastics – talk about off-gasing – that stuff had some serious VOC – I can almost get a whiff of that new car smell from here. Bring-A-Pine Tree for the rearview.

Still love this mistress… and I know I’m not alone. I think I’ll leave it on its pedestal for now, but if I were looking, next to a Martinique blue from ’79, I like this. I’ve heard enough bad stories about these that have kept my fever in check. But how hard can it be to maintain?

KPG .. WS6 option gave the wider 15×8 snowflakes. I always liked the earlier Honeycombs better. The 17s are a “modern” restomod. But I do like them and give you the option of running better hi perf tires

Tail happy fun! Try driving on in the snow! Alas those days are gone for them!

Whether you’d be seen in it or not, this one has the right mods. Big option car, right motor, done by someone who knows what they were doing. Shame about the radio, but easily fixed.

and @Wardo, I’m interested in what disappoints you about the interior? When I look at it, I see the optional cloth seat covers and a fairly rare color scheme that provides a great contrast to the exterior colors. This interior avoided the common black accent pieces (console, dash and steering column), and even the steering wheel brings in some rare color – most of these wheels were solid black in whatever you saw them in.

Overall, It looks a lot brighter in there than I’d expect. Hope the new owner likes powder blue.

One letdown (and not exclusive to this car) is the door panels. Aside from the lower accent carpeting, they look like they came straight off a Vega.

This color is must be rare on these. It looks very fresh because of the color to me, and the exceptional fit and finish which is a hundred times better than original. One of the most unusual car enthusiast experience I have ever had was last Summer while vacationing out west. My wife and I stayed at a Marriott in Denver and it happened to be a stop for the “Bandit tour”. There were probably 30 black TAs like the movie one, the Sheriffs car, and the semi that the bandit was “escorting”. These guys were living out the movies …never saw anything like it except for the flying Elvises…..

Option wise this one checks all the right box’s for me. However I personally prefer the Formula model due to the lack of the screaming chicken and more of a “base model” look (unless you added the Formula graphics).

Surprised T/As don’t show up more often on BAT. I’m no expert on these, but this one appears to be a nice one with all the right options. 400 / 4 spd / WS6 is as good as you could get performance-wise. And personally, I prefer them in colors other than black and without the SE package. Interior color is a bit of a let down. I’d take this over black though. I think gray would have been best, followed by tan. Can’t see spending anywhere near the dealer ask, but if you could factor out the $5000 plus dealer mark-up, it would be priced about right I think. I don’t think they’ll have trouble selling it though.

This is an RK Motors car which means two things: 1) It’s a flawless restoration… This car is probably better now than when it rolled out of the factory 2) You’d better bring a fat checkbook. RK commands (and gets) a hefty premium on everything they sell.

Wow, my first “fast” car! Actually I had a ’78 W72, WS6with a 4 speed, not many about. They were not that fast stock , but in the words of Sammy Hagar (remember him) .. I (could) EAT Z28. Well the Z28 of the day that is. The car was just plain fun and easy to work on. And when I blew the engine, out it came and in went a GTO mill with specs by HO Racing and parts from Nunzi! Then it was a bit of a beast.

This color combo is a bit wrong to me, …. and it needs some performane upgrades, tri-y headers, … better heads and a nice cam.